Seven Great Snacks for Holi

Seven Great Snacks for Holi are Aloo Poori, Namakpara , Bhaang pakore , Shakarpara, Mawa Gujiya, Thandai  and  Papri are recipes made at Holi festival time.  Holi is called as festival of Colours.

Aloo Poori Recipe

Ingredients for Aloo:

• 500 gm potato
• Oil for fry
• Salt as per taste
• 1/4th tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Ingredients for Puri:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (Maida)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 cup yogurt
• Oil for deep fry

Mthod for preparing Aloo Puri :

For the Aloo

• Peel potatoes and cut pieces
• Deep fry potatoes
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, cashew nuts to the oil and mix.
• Then add potatoes to it and keep aside.
• Add red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix.
• It’s ready to serve.

 For the puri

1. Place the flour in mixing bowl with the salt.
2. To the flour add gradually yogurt and mix well to form flexible dough.
3. Add water if needed.
4. Press the dough for 7-10 minutes until it is soft.
5. Leave it for 20 minutes to get softer.
6. Make balls out of this dough.
7. Roll out each piece on the well floured surface into a big circle (usually it will be bigger than a normal Poori)
8. Heat oil in a Kadhai or frying pan.
9. Deep-fry the Poori in hot oil for a minute, turn the side and fry till it is puffed and golden in colour.
10. Repeat this process for remaining Poori dough.

 Namakpara Recipe

Namakpara is a popular Holi recipe. It made from flour dough cut into strips and then deep fried.

 Ingredients for Namakpara:

• 2 cup Maida flour
• 2cup semolina (Suji)
• water as per required
• 3 tbsp beaten curd
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1tsp Ajwain
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

 Method for preparing Namakpara:

1. In a bowl mix flour, salt, Ajwain and melted ghee till the mixture takes  in the form of breadcrumbs
2. In a separate bowl combine beaten curd with water and make it as a tight dough.
3. Cover this dough with a wet cloth piece for half hour.
4. Make balls of the dough and roll them into a thick flat bread of the size of a medium circle or pizza.
5. Now with the help of a knife cut vertically and then into horizontally to get diamond shaped strips.
6. Heat the oil in a kadhai or frying pan. Fry these strips in small batches over medium flame till they are golden crisp.
7. Drain out the excess oil and place them to cool on tissue paper.
8. Fry all the strips in the similar manner and then store Namakpare in an airtight container.

Bhaang Pakore Recipe

Bhaang pakore is a special dish made during the Holi festival. Bhaang pakora are a trendy snack during holi festivities.

 Ingredients for Bhaang Pakore:

• 500 gms Gram flour (Besan)
• 20 gms Bhang (Cannabis) seed powder
  4 gms Soda-bicarb (sodium bicarbonate or baking powder)
  10 gms Ajwain (carom seeds)
  10 gms Pomegranate seed powder (Anardana)
  Salt to taste
  Oil for deep-frying
• 400 gms Potatoes (Aloo)
• 400 gms Cauliflower (Gobi)
• 300 gms Onions (Pyaj)
• 200 gms Spinach (Palak)
• 400 gms Brinjal (Baigan)

 Method for Preparing  Bhaang Pakora :

1. Wash and cut the vegetables in big piece.
2. Mix together besan, soda-bicarb and salt together.
3. To this mixture add Bhang seed powder, Ajwain, Red Chili Powder, and Pomegranate seed powder.
4. Now add enough water to make batter of dropping consistency.
5. Heat oil in a kadhai.
6. Dip the vegetable pieces one by one in the batter such that they get completely dipped in the batter from all sides.
7. Then deep fry them on medium fire till golden crisp.
8. Bhaang pakora are ready and can be served hot.

Shakarpara Recipe

 Shakarpara are sugar coated flour pieces which are deep fried. Shakkarpare can be stored for 2 -3 weeks.

 Ingredients for Shakarpara:

• 250 Gms – All purpose flour
• 50Gms – Ghee
• 3 tsp – Baking powder
• Water – As per required
• Oil for  Deep fry

For the coating -

• Sugar – 150 gms
• Water – 50 ml

 Method for preparing for Shakarpara:

1. Strain the flour and add ghee to it. Mix the mixture till it look like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the baking powder and add very little water and make into stiff dough.
3. Cover it with a moist cloth for 10-15 min.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Divide the dough into three long rolls.
5. Roll each portion to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with knife into 1/2 inch pieces.
6. When the oil gets perfect hot fry the pieces on medium flame for 10-12 minutes or till the Pare are crisp and light golden.
7. Drain them on a paper tissue and fry the remaining pieces in the same way.

To make the syrup (coating)

1. In a pan boil the water and the sugar till it reaches one-string consistency
2. Remove from fire, add the Pare all together and coat the Pare evenly with the help of a flat spoon.
3. Do not mix too much, as the sugar will freeze.
4. Take them out and let them dry for a while.
5. Store in airtight container.

Mawa Gujiya Recipe

 Mawa Gujiya is a delicious sweet dish recipe that can be enjoyed at Holi time and can be stored for a longer time.

 Ingredients for Mawa Gujiya:

•  5 cup Maida
• 500 gm thickened Milk (Mawa)
• 2 cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Cardamom powder (elaichi)
• 15-20 Almond
• 15-20 Raisins
•  Ghee (Clarified Butter) for Deep fry

 Method for preparing Mawa Gujiya:

1. Fry thickened milk in a pan until it turns light brown and then remove it from the flame.
2. Grind sugar to a powder.
3. Finely chop almonds.
4. Mix Sugar, Almonds, Raisins, Cardamom powder and thickened milk.
5. Keep in mind that sugar is to be added only when thickened milk gets cooled.
6. Add 5 tbsp ghee in thickened milk and knead into hard dough with water.
7. Make small rounds of it and roll them into small chapattis.
8. Take 1 tbsp thickened milk and spread on the chapattis.
9. Put some water on the corners so as to seal them and then press them with your fingers.
10. Now heat ghee in a pan and deep fry all Gujhiyas at low flame from both the sides.
11. Take them out and store the Mawa Gujiyas.

Recipe of Thandai

Thandai is prepared from milk and is traditional drink for Holi. It is healthy and very refreshing.

 Ingredients for Thandai:

200ml                            -        Milk
40Gm                             -        Almonds, blanched
40Gm                                      Pistachios, blanched
20Gm                             -        Poppy seeds ( soak in water for 1 hour)
40Gm                             -        Cashews, blanched
20Gm                             -        Melon seeds, blanched
2Gm                     -        Cinnamon powder
4Gm                     -        Black pepper corns
10Gm                             -        Rose petals
100Gm                 -        Sugar
0.5 Gm                 -        Saffron
2Gm                     -        Green cardamoms

Method for preparing for Thandai:

1. Heat sugar and milk and add saffron when sugar dissolves in milk.
2. Turn off the flame.
3. Combine almonds, pistachios, soaked poppy seeds, cashews, melon seeds, rose petals and a little milk to make a paste.
4.  Combine cinnamon, cardamom and pepper and grind to a powder.
5. Add this powder to the paste.
6.  Mix the paste with a little milk, and then add it all to the remaining milk.
7.  Thandai is ready to serve.

 Papri Recipe

 Papri is a traditional Indian snacks usually prepared on the occasion of Holi.

 Ingredients for Papri :

•  500Gm  Maida (all purpose flour)
•  2 tsp Mustard oil
•  1Kg  Gram Flour or Besan
•  2 tsp Dry fenugreek leaves, finely chopped
•  2 tsp Red chili powder
•  2 Cup of water
•  Salt as per taste

Method for preparing Papri:

1. Combine Besan, red chili powder, salt and oil. Mix well.
2. Make dough and knead it properly for about five minutes.
3. Add fenugreek leaves and again knead for three minutes.
4. On high heat, heat oil in a frying pan.
5. Smear your palm with little oil.
6. Roll out a long strip (one inch thick) from the dough.
7. Divide the roll into pieces of one inch each.
8. Flatten these pieces into a round shape.
9. Dust them lightly with Maida.
10. Fry on low flame till golden yellow in color.
11. Remove using a sieve and drain the oil.